Tension

To kick off Season 12, we're introducing a series of honest conversations we think people are feeling but aren't having starting with a simple idea:

I'd trust Jesus a lot more if it didn't require trusting other Christians.

We know we haven't been hurt by Jesus, but many of us have been hurt by other Christians. Sometimes that hurt was intentional, but more often than not it's been unintentional because people are, well, people.

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If you want to send in a story for our 100th episode, send them to [email protected] or to Jonathan on Instagram (instagram.com/jonathan_carone).

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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI Notice - our intro/outro music was created using Suno.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By every metric, the American Evangelical church is not in a healthy place. We've spent the last few months talking about how Cultural Christianity is killing the American church.

So now we ask - can it even recover from Cultural Christianity?

In this bonus episode, we talk about four things we believe are needed for the American Evangelical church to heal.

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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI notice - our intro/outro music was created using AI.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So the election happened...

And not too long after it, we saw the wave of social media posts deify Donald Trump as God's chosen savior of our country along with any number of messages filled with mean-spirited language about people who voted for Kamala Harris.

If you're like us, that's left you feeling some sort of way.

In this bonus episode recorded two days after the election, we talk through a framework of how we can process what we're feeling and move forward in the tensions between how we believe we should apply our faith to the culture around us and the way a large portion of the evangelical church has decided to apply theirs.

PS - the whole episode can be summed up in the final 30-seconds. We think the entire thing is good, but fast forward there if you just want the cliff notes.

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Our definitions of cultural Christianity:

Spiritually immature Christians who have been discipled more by evangelical culture than the actual Bible.

and/or

Christians who are more concerned with applying their Christian preferences to the culture than they are in achieving unity in Christ with those who may have different preferences.

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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve tried to stay fairly reserved all season, but this week some emotions came out that have been boiling under the surface.

In this episode you’ll see two completely different views of how the rise of Donald Trump has impacted us when it comes to our Christian faith. Whether it’s the deification of the man, the hijacking of prophetic gifts, or how we view things overall, this episode shows how the current conservative political movement has hit both of us individually.

You won’t agree with everything - and some of it might even be a turn-off for you - but this is our raw response to where we are in today’s climate.

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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI Notice - we use AI for our intro/outro music.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know 1/3 of all adults who grew up in church but have since left said pastoral sex scandals played a significant role in their decision to leave?

Over the past 15 years, we've seen cover up after cover up within the American church. And it's all for the same reason: churches were scared of losing their cultural influence if they fired the pastor who abused his position.

This week we talk about how this has impacted evangelical culture, what a healthier approach would be, and what actual restoration looks like.

Content warning: we do go into some details on a few of the scandals. If that's not content you would like to hear, we suggest you skip 8:52 - 12:57.

8:52 - discussion of scandals starts

12:57 - details are done, you can come back

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Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI notice - our theme song is AI generated using Suno.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to cultural Christianity, so much of it comes down to an actual lack of trust in Jesus.

If/when we trust Jesus, we believe he'll do what he says he will do and aren't so dang scared of everything.

But when we don't trust him, we feel like it's up to us to protect everything and to fight for things he never told us to fight for.

This week we talk about how that idea plays out in real life while somehow mentioning Wendy Peffercorn while also relating Jesus to David Hasselhoff on Baywatch.

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__________________

Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI notice: our intro/outro music was created by AI.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gen Z is the least religious generation in American history. As of 2022, 44% of Gen Z claimed to have no relationship with religion at all.

In the 5th episode of our season looking at how Cultural Christianity is killing the American church, we make the case that an incomplete gospel combined with bad end times theology is the leading thing driving Gen Z to be uninterested in church.

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https://www.threads.net/@ericw712

__________________

Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI notice: the intro and outdo music is AI generated.

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Resources referenced in the show:

https://religioninpublic.blog/2023/04/03/gen-z-and-religion-in-2022/

https://sojo.net/articles/sponsored/1-million-leaving-church-every-year-gen-z-faithless-generation

https://relevantmagazine.com/magazine/how-gen-z-will-shape-the-church/

https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/gen-z-activism-survey/

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/12/08/about-four-in-ten-u-s-adults-believe-humanity-is-living-in-the-end-times/

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/11/17/how-religion-intersects-with-americans-views-on-the-environment/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-religion/article/religious-ideology-race-and-health-care-policy-attitudes/C7882B114833DA3B437FEE106A14FD47

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The issue we discuss this week is a subtle, nuanced one you don't notice until a light is shined on it. What started with good intentions - telling people how Jesus has helped us - has evolved into a culture where we (unintentionally?) give off the impression we are more concerned with converting people than actually caring for them.

In this episode we look at how we got to where we are today, fully acknowledge the good intentions that led to bad results, and introduce an idea for a more complete application of the gospel.

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__________________

Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

Our intro/outro music has been AI generated.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know only 7% of people who had an abortion felt comfortable talking to *anyone* at church before making their decision? If that's not bad enough, only 3 in 10 believe the Church is a safe place to discuss pregnancy options (including parenting, abortion, and adoption).

Why don't people who have had an abortion feel comfortable in the American Church? What is it about us that makes them feel unsafe?

This week we continue our look at how Cultural Christianity is killing the American Church by discussing how the way we talk about abortion within the Church is hurting those who have been impacted by it the most.

Articles we reference:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/abortion/survey-women-go-silently-from-church-to-abortion-clinic/

https://deeperstill.org/roe-triggers/

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__________________

Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI notice: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's a stat for you: since 2008, moderates have left the Southern Baptist Convention at a 40% higher rate than the overall decline of the SBC.

This season we're looking at how cultural Christianity is killing the American Church. In this week's episode, we dive into how moderates - both politically and theologically - have been pushed out of the American Evangelical church.

Articles we reference:

https://www.prri.org/research/religious-change-in-america/

https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-state-of-the-southern-baptist

https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/southern-baptists-are-more-conservative

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Follow us on social:

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http://instagram.com/ericw712

https://www.threads.net/@jonathan_carone

https://www.threads.net/@ericw712

__________________

Tension was called Unlearning Youth Group for the first six seasons.

AI notice: the song at the beginning and end of the episode is AI generated.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.