The Failed Christian

We all fail and when we do, we feel like we deserve punishment and judgement, but in God’s Kingdom it’s just the opposite. Today, I’m joined with Daniel Dodd, who was a successful pastor that had a major moral failure, costing him his job, his spiritual community and his pride. Although he was shunned by his church, he was surprised at what he found in God. Instead of harsh judgement and disappointment, he fell into loving, forgiving and accepting arms. Just like my story, Daniel was surprised at the response he experienced in God. His story is raw, honest and full of grace.

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Produced by Joey Papa Media.

Every human experiences grief and sorrow. It’s simply a part of life. Jesus himself was called a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He knows what it is to grieve loss, to be betrayed and to cry out to the Father in agony and anxiety. I think the church has forgotten about this part of Jesus’ life. Yes, he conquered death and the grave and is seated at the right hand of the Father, but he is also the lowly servant, who was mistreated, spat upon and sweat drops of blood in the garden. I think the church has done a disservice by overlooking these parts of Christ. Many church-goers have learned how to deny their emotions, rather than experience them. There seems to be a pressure to always have a smiley face on in church, otherwise you can be perceived as not being a “good Christian.” My friend, George Wood joins me again to talk about his grief and sorrow and how God found him in the midst of it all. 

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Let’s talk about sex! For me sex was associated with sin and shame. Being raised in the Evangelical church, I was taught to fear sex and anything related to it. That fundamental teaching was extremely damaging for me, both sexually, spiritually and mentally. In this episode, I’m joined with Shannon Ethridge, a Christian sexologist, sex coach and author, to dive deep into some uncomfortable conversations around sex. This conversation was enlightening and challenging for me.

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Politics is a conversation I tend to stay far away from. I don’t like conversations that center around two polar opposite viewpoints, where the one side demonizes the other. And, if you’ve been alive for the last few years, you know the political climate in the United States has been very, very heated. Not only that but a strange phenomenon has crept into many evangelical churches in the expression of Christian Nationalism. This is not only dangerous but it also taints the very name of the one we proclaim. In this episode, I’m joined by Tim Whitaker, a podcaster and advocate for church reform. His podcast, “The New Evangelicals,” focuses heavily on the current state of the church, with the hopes to expand our understanding of where things went off course and the hope to return to our first love. 

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What if what Jesus said was true, that the greatest among us are the least of these? This episode we talk about people with disabilities. They are some of the most forgotten and marginalized group of people on the planet and they are here to teach us something. Both my guest, Mary Tutterow, and I have children with cognitive and physical disabilities and they have been the most effective people to teach us the secrets of the Kingdom of God. This episode is very special for me, as I have not talked about my daughter, Canaan, in many, many years.

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Addiction has become sorta an expectation in our society. Most of us have dealt with addiction on one level or another. Many are secretly hiding their addictions, out of fear of judgement and shame. On today’s show I sit down with my guest, who was on staff at a church and hiding his addiction to alcohol. While he was a Christian for most of his life, it wasn’t until his addiction got out of control that he fully understand and experienced the grace of God. The churches obsession with preaching against sin, has lead many in the church to hide in shame and not feel safe or comfortable to come clean and ask for help.

The Transcend Human Podcast

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The deconstruction movement has swept through American Christianity for the last few years, leaving very polarized opinions of what it is and its credibility. I myself have not been a part of that movement, not because I don’t affirm it, but because I haven’t had that experience. I never had a moment of “deconstruction.” For me, most of my Christian walk has been asking the tough questions and readjusting my beliefs based on my experiences, knowledge of scripture and new information I’ve acquired. But for many, there was a moment of realizing that they may not agree or believe everything they’ve been taught in American Christianity. This movement has had the boldness to address some major inconsistencies in the church and have had the courage to question why they believe what they believe. For some, deconstruction has lead them to greater faith in Jesus and for others it’s lead to the decision that they do not believe in Him. Wherever you find yourself, this episode will address each component of this process.

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LGBTQ Christians. This is a huge topic within the Christian faith. Traditionally, churches have done a very poor job at understanding how to navigate this topic. Last week we discussed "side b" Christians, who do not deny their LGBTQ identity, but still hold the traditional Christian sexual ethic (sex between a man and woman in marriage). This week, we dive into "side a," which fully embraces same-sex attraction and affirms LGBTQ romantic relationships. This topic is highly sensitive and has left a lot of separation in the church. I'm joined with Michael Robison, a prominent, evangelical, mega-church pastor, who after 20 years of marriage, came out to his wife. They peacefully divorced and Michael is now re-married to a man.

Side A Resources

The Four Sides

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LGBTQ Christians. This is a huge topic within the Christian faith. Traditionally, churches have done a very poor job at understanding how to navigate this topic. In this episode, it is my desire to bring greater understanding and awareness around this topic. If you’re someone who is queer, on any level, and you’ve never felt comfortable or welcomed to be honest about your sexuality, I pray this conversation brings hope and peace to your soul. And for the listeners that are straight and don’t understand this world, my hope is that you will approach this topic with respect and open-mindedness, so that you can become a safe person for those in your life who are working through this part of their life.

Side B Resources

The Four Sides

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The Bible. The most sold book in the world, is intended to be the story of God and humanity, but many times it has been used to devalue, manipulate and dehumanize people. Unfortunately, this abusive approach to the Bible has been a large part of my Christian experience. For many years, I had a very strong shame filter, as I read the Bible because of how others had presented it and used it against me. I’m joined by Dr. Lamp, a professor of the New Testament at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He brings an incredible perspective to this sensitive and heated topic. If you’ve ever felt like the Bible was used against you, I think this episode will resonate with you and hopefully provide some level of healing.

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