The Dashboard JESUS > Podcast

A viral moment from The God Debate raised a familiar question: why are Christians “mean and unkind” to people because of their sexuality? In this episode we replay the exchange between Chloé Valdary and Ross Douthat and examine it piece by piece - not to criticize Douthat's response, but to recognize how we can answer it better.

We'll break down a fascinating exchange from a congressional hearing where Texas Congressman Michael Cloud questioned a progressive pastor about the meaning of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 — “the least of these.” The conversation quickly turned to a deeper issue: Is biblical charity something individuals freely give, or something government can compel through taxation? We've been waiting a long time to hear someone say this correctly.

We’re told from childhood to “just be happy.” It’s in our music, our culture, even our founding ideals. But what if the pursuit of happiness isn’t delivering what we think it will? In this episode, we explore why chasing feelings may leave us restless — and why there might be a better way to live.

A troubling clip of a South African megachurch pastor raises an important question: what does real, biblical leadership actually sound like? In this episode, we listen to the uncomfortable clip and then compare it to the words and teaching of Jesus in the New Testament. There's a big difference between spiritual authority and spiritual control. Because the church belongs to Christ—not to any personality—and His voice still sets the standard for every shepherd.

Prompted by comments from Andy Beshear during his appearance on The View, this episode steps back to ask a deeper question: What happens when Scripture is used to support ideas that conflict with God’s design? With grief, clarity, and compassion, this conversation explores what the Bible truly teaches about truth, love, children, and eternal accountability calling all of us to faithfulness to Christ above the applause of the moment.

At this year’s Grammys, an unexpected moment of honesty cut through the noise. When Jelly Roll spoke about faith, failure, and grace, it didn’t sound like a sermon—it sounded like a confession. In this episode, we explore why that moment resonated so deeply, what Scripture says about lives still in progress, and why God’s grace meets us not after we’re finished, but while we’re still under construction.

In this episode, we take on a recent "Holy Post" segment in which New York Times columnist David French divides Christian churches into “fear the world” churches and “love your neighbor” churches. That's a false dichotomy behind that is not supported in Scripture. We'll take a look at the words of Jesus, and ask whether discernment and warning are truly opposed to Christian love, or essential to it.

A student recently asked me, "How woke are you, Mr. Heck?" My answer is simple: I’m not woke — because I’m a Christian. That’s not a judgment on who can follow Jesus, or a claim that people with “woke” views can’t be Christians. It’s a statement about worldviews. I think this is an important episode. We'll get into why wokeness functions like a competing religion, why it ultimately clashes with the gospel, and why Christianity tells a better story of identity, truth, and redemption.

A powerful insight from evangelist Ray Comfort just reshaped my understanding of how true conversion to Christ happens. We always avoid the law and lead with a more palatable, "Jesus died for your sins" or "Jesus loves you." But that doesn't end up making sense to someone who doesn't understand their guilt. It's foolish and offensive. There's a better way.

In this episode, I argue that it’s not enough to simply label things “Marxist” and move on. If Christianity truly opposes Marxism, we should understand why - not as a talking point, but as a matter of theology, history, and worldview.