In Part 1, we asked if our modern view of hell is just Christian fan fiction. Now, it’s time to look at the actual text. What did Jesus really say about the bad place?

This week on The Easy Approach, Nate, Tony, and special guest Michael return for Part 2 of our deep dive into one of the most difficult and controversial topics in faith. If you've ever felt uneasy about traditional views of hell, or wondered why the English Bible flattens four entirely different ancient words all into the word "hell," this conversation is for you.

We are leaving the heresy-hunting at the door to explore the three major historical views held by early church leaders, debunk the famous "burning garbage dump" myth, and unpack the shocking historical reality of Gehenna.

What if hell isn't just a future destination you're trying to avoid, but a present power we are actively dealing with right now?

In this episode, we cover:

• The Job Principle: Why God isn't intimidated by our honest questions and theological doubts.

• The 3 Historical Views: Unpacking Eternal Conscious Torment, Annihilationism, and Universalism.

• The YouTube Heresy Hunters: Why the Christian culture of immediate condemnation misses the way of Jesus (and a look back at the Rob Bell controversy).

• Lost in Translation: The crucial differences between Sheol, Hades, Tartarus, and Gehenna.

• The Garbage Dump Myth: Why that popular Gehenna sermon illustration is completely historically false - and the darker truth behind it.

• A Present Reality: How human evil unleashes hell on earth, and why Jesus ultimately wants to "get the hell out of you."

Make sure to follow the podcast so you don't miss Part 3 dropping next week, where we react to quotes from modern thinkers and early church fathers!

Pitchforks, red spandex, and torture chambers. We all know the images, but are they actually in the Bible? Or are they just medieval fan fiction we’ve mistaken for theology?

In this episode, Nate and Tony are joined by Michael Slender to tackle one of the heaviest topics in the faith: Hell. We’re peeling back centuries of cultural baggage - from Dante’s Inferno to the "Hell Houses" of our youth groups - to find out what scripture actually says (and what it doesn’t).

We discuss:

• The "Scared Straight" Era: Why fear-based evangelism and "Hell Houses" might have missed the point.

• Dante vs. The Bible: How much of our view of the afterlife comes from a 14th-century poem?

• Pascal’s Wager: Is "fire insurance" really a foundation for a relationship with God?

• Heaven on Earth: Why the biblical narrative is less about escaping the "Bad Place" and more about restoring this one.

Note: This is Part 1 of a series. In the next episode, we will dive into the specific biblical words for Hell (Gehenna, Sheol, Hades) and what they actually mean.

🎙️ About The EZ Approach:We tackle the questions you’re afraid to ask in church, with a focus on deconstructing cultural Christianity to reconstruct a genuine faith.

We’ve all heard the cliché "forgive and forget." But what happens when the memory doesn't fade? Does that mean you haven't actually forgiven?

In this episode, Nate and Tony challenge the idea that forgiveness requires amnesia. We break down why waiting to "forget" is a trap that leads to bitterness, and why true forgiveness is less about letting someone else off the hook and more about setting yourself free.

We discuss:

• The Myth of "Forgive and Forget": Why forgiveness is an act of the will, while forgetting is just a biological process.

• Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation: How to forgive someone without letting them back into your life (and why boundaries are necessary).

• Memory as a Teacher: How to stop your memories from becoming tormentors.

• The Prisoner Metaphor: Unpacking the reality that holding a grudge only imprisons you.

• Nate's Personal Story: Dealing with slander and the daily choice to release the hurt.

If you are stuck waiting for the pain to disappear before you forgive, this episode offers a new way forward.

Quotes from the episode:

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you."

"Memory without forgiveness leads to bitterness; forgiveness without memory leads to foolishness."

Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it!

We honestly planned for this to be a lighthearted episode.

The goal was simple: talk about the movies and video games that we love. But as we started talking, we realized something profound: Sometimes, a "made-up" story teaches you more about real life than a lecture ever could.

In this episode, Nate and Tony are joined by Elijah Evans to discuss the specific pieces of media that bypassed their brains and went straight to their hearts. What started as a pop-culture chat turned into a raw conversation about war, ambition, grief, and how to keep going when your world falls apart.

We discuss:

• The "Trojan Horse" Effect: Why fiction can disarm us and teach us lessons we aren't ready to hear from a pastor or a textbook.

• Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies: Elijah shares how a devastating animated film about WWII taught him a lifelong lesson on depravity and the cost of war.

• Final Fantasy Tactics: Tony breaks down how a video game shaped his view of integrity, ambition, and why "winning" isn't worth losing your soul.

• Jojo Rabbit & The Choice to Dance: Nate opens up about how a tragicomedy about a Nazi boy became a lifeline of hope during his family’s navigation of a brain cancer diagnosis.

If you love storytelling, or if you’ve ever felt like a movie understood you better than your friends did, this episode is for you.

Mentions:

• Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

• Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)

• Jojo Rabbit (2019)

• Quote: Rilke ("Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror.")

Let’s be honest: The phrase "Social Justice" has become a grenade in the church.

For some, it sounds like the heart of the Gospel. For others, it sounds like a dangerous political agenda. If you say it in a church lobby, you're just as likely to start a fight as you are to start a movement.

So, why is this term so loaded? And is it possible to care about the oppressed without just copying a secular political talking point?

In this episode, Nate, Tony, and Michael refuse to play it safe. We dive into the tension to figure out if there is a "Third Way": a vision for justice that is deeper than modern activism but harder than traditional conservatism.

We discuss:

• Why "Social Justice" triggers a "fight or flight" response in so many Christians.

• Biblical Justice vs. Modern Activism: The difference between "Restoration" and "Power."

• The "Third Rail": A honest look at CRT, Intersectionality, and where they clash (or align) with Scripture.

• The Jesus Paradox: Why Jesus’ approach to justice would probably offend both political parties today.

• System vs. Soul: Why you can't fix the world if you ignore the human heart.

If you are tired of the cable news shouting matches and want a better, biblical framework for justice, this conversation is for you.

We live in a "good vibes only" world. Social media highlights and cultural pressure tell us that if we aren't happy, we're failing. But what if that pressure is actually making us miserable?

In this episode, Nate and Tony challenge the stigma around negative emotions. We explore why feelings like sadness, grief, anger, and anxiety aren't flaws to be fixed - they are features to be listened to.

Using the analogy of a "check engine light," we discuss how these uncomfortable emotions are actually signals that something under the hood needs attention. We also open up about our own recent battles with grief and health crises, and offer practical tools for processing pain instead of numbing it.

If you're tired of faking it, this conversation is for you.

• Topics: Toxic positivity, processing grief, the purpose of anger, and practical mental health tools.

• Disclaimer: We are not medical professionals. If you are in crisis, please seek professional support.

It’s the most famous end-times concept in modern culture: a secret, sudden event where believers vanish and leave the world behind. But is the "Rapture" actually found in the pages of Scripture?

In the finale of our End Times series, we tackle the "Rapture" head-on. We dive deep into the three specific Bible passages most people use to support the idea - John 14, Matthew 24, and 1 Thessalonians 4 - and discover that when you read them in context, they tell a completely different story.

We move beyond the fear-based theology of "Left Behind" to uncover a biblical hope that is far more beautiful: not an escape plan from Earth, but the promise of God’s return to Earth to renew all things.

Join us as we wrap up this series by trading the anxiety of an evacuation for the hope of a restoration.

For most of our lives, we’ve been given one picture of the afterlife: we leave Earth and go "up" to a disembodied heaven of clouds, harps, and pearly gates. But what if that popular idea isn't actually what the Bible is pointing toward?

In Part 2 of our series on the end times, we challenge this "escape" narrative. We trace the real biblical story, from the Garden of Eden to the Tabernacle, from Jesus as the walking Temple to the stunning finale in Revelation. What we find is a consistent, powerful theme: God's plan isn't to get us off Earth, it's to bring heaven down to Earth.

Join us as we explore the breathtaking vision of a "garden city" on a renewed creation, and what this means for our mission right here and now. If our goal isn't just to sell "tickets to heaven," what are we supposed to be doing? This conversation will change the way you see your purpose.

(And get ready for Part 3, where we'll finally ask: "So, what about the rapture?")

Every few years, a new date for the "end of the world" goes viral. But what if our entire understanding of the "apocalypse" is wrong? What if the Bible was never trying to give us a secret timetable for the future?

In this episode (Part 1 of a new series), we're tackling the hype around "end times" head-on. We share our own experiences with everything from Left Behind books to failed predictions, and discuss why this kind of sensationalism can be so unhelpful.

Then we dive deep: What does the word "apocalypse" actually mean? (Hint: It's not "catastrophe.") We explore books like Daniel and Revelation in their original context, finding that they weren't written as crystal balls, but as powerful letters of hope to suffering people, meant to inspire faithful endurance in the present.

Join us as we reframe this confusing topic, moving from anxious speculation to a more hopeful and practical understanding of scripture.

What happens when God finally breaks His silence? In the final episode of our series on Job, we explore God's stunning response from the whirlwind - an answer that has nothing to do with Job's suffering and everything to do with God's wisdom and power.

We discuss how God reframes the entire conversation, moving Job from a place of demanding answers to a place of humble trust. This is a deep dive into what it means to find perspective in pain, wrestle honestly with faith, and ultimately find peace not in understanding why, but in knowing Who.

Don't miss the powerful conclusion to our journey through one of the Bible's most challenging and essential books.