In this episode, we share the original video of Ashley’s first ever Facebook Live when she shared for the first time publicly her research and conclusions on the topic of women’s hair in the Church and why she doesn’t believe the Bible teaches it should remain uncut.

In the intro of this episode, Ashley shares why she did this Live in the first place as well as her heart for the future of the Freeborn community.

Why dedicate an entire episode to this topic?

Well, in episode 22 of The Freeborn Podcast entitled Opinionland, we discussed how man’s opinions so quickly and easily become laws that trump the laws of God. 

We dove into Romans 14, which counsels believers how to live together in unity despite a diversity of opinions. It’s a great episode - we hope you’ve listened to it.

However, we have observed there is one opinion in Opinionland that has amassed so much intensity and gravitas that it feels like more than just a mere opinion - the biblical interpretation that concludes a women’s hair should remain uncut. 

Through creative exegesis and some fancy intellectual footwork, this teaching has become one of the bedrock beliefs of many Pentecostal sects and other Holiness movements.

But, does the Bible really teach this? We are convinced it doesn’t.

If this teaching on women’s hair is a sticking point keeping you from entering into true freedom in Christ, we hope this episode helps to finally set you free.

We’re alive in the Spirit, but are we walking in the Spirit as Paul said we should?

This episode is a call back to the voice of God.

Maybe we’ve underestimated our ability to hear Him, not realizing He wired us to hear His voice.

Maybe we don’t think He wants to communicate that much, afraid that we’ll bother Him.

Or, maybe it’s just that it’s easier to plow ahead with our own common sense. We are very uncomfortable with uncertainty, with feeling out of control. 

Whatever the reason, slowly over the decades, the Church has forgotten how to “walk in the Spirit,” and it has forgotten to teach the next generations as well.

It’s not that we’re evil. We’re just sheep, and we easily go astray. We have good intentions, but as we’ve grown more dull in our hearts, we have just complicated things more.

It’s simple, yes, but not easy. The Bible says few find the path of life. Let the Freeborn community be among those that find it and whose lives compel others to follow.

The false brothers said to the Christians in Galatia, "If you don't get circumcised, you won't be saved."

Paul said, "If you get circumcised to be saved, you cut yourself off from Christ."

The same debate is happening in the Church today. Are there things we do to help save ourselves? Or, is faith in Jesus Christ enough?

What IS the real salvation issue?

And what does God have to say about His sheep who have been scattered and wounded by false brothers teaching false doctrine?

By the end of the episode, we hope you are convinced that we are in the hands of the Great Good Shepherd, and the best is yet to come.

We have been discussing one of the tensions of living in biblical freedom. 

Last episode, we learned in what situations and for whom love would require we sacrifice our liberties.

This episode, we discuss when it is necessary, if not essential, to stand our ground and absolutely not compromise the freedom we have in Christ.

Galatians gives us stunning insight about this. 

We learn a sober reality - there were wolves in sheep’s clothing even in the first-century church, just as there are today. Paul exposes their tactics for our benefit because these tactics never change. The modern-day Church has fallen victim to them to a great degree, and there have been many casualties.

But God is on a rescue mission, arising with healing in His wings. In this episode, we shine light on manipulative and abusive behavior in the Church, not so we can wallow in bitterness and anger, but so we can become truly free.

Freedom involves a series of tension. One tension is knowing when to sacrifice your liberties in love for and service of others and when to stand your ground.

This week, we explore when and for whom love demands we relinquish our freedom.

Remember - the highest form of freedom is ironically self-sacrifice.

This episode also includes a plot twist and exposes a long-standing misconception in the Church.

This episode will strengthen your faith significantly and may make this Christian walk seem more intriguing and liberating than it’s ever felt before.

Freedom is a two-sided coin.

“All things are lawful” is a well-known phrase from 1 Corinthians, which represents the freedom side of the coin. But, this phrase is followed by a big ‘BUT,’ which represents the personal responsibility side.

Freedom and personal responsibility go hand-in-hand. In this episode, we explore “what should follow the ‘but’” so we all remain truly free.

We tease out four questions from Scripture that help us each discover the limits of freedom in our own lives. The answers to those four questions is highly individual. 

Legalism, perhaps trying to help, answers these questions for us, but the end result is not freedom. 

True freedom requires you know your own boundaries. True freedom is being led by the Spirit, for where the Spirit of the Lord is there will always be liberty.

We hope this episode helps you discover “what must follow YOUR ‘but’” so can live at peace with God and yourself.

We all have opinions. Opinions aren't bad, but, for freedom's sake, we need to know how to correctly view our own and other's opinions.

In this episode, we investigate one of the most amazing chapters in the Bible (in our opinion) - Romans 14.

Many of us who came from high-control, legalistic cultures often felt browbeaten, shamed, discredited, and diminished by mere opinions elevated to the level of truth.

The Bible is proof - this is nothing new, but is this appropriate and necessary given the command to live in unity with one another? Does unity mean we all agree or think the same?

There are about a billion denominations in Christianity, many of them making distinctions between "us and them" over mere opinion. And they all believe they are on God's side defending the truth. Is this what God had in mind?

Preservation of our God-given freedom demands we know what to do with our own and other's opinions. This episode will be a refreshing, affirming, motivating hour of perspective and instruction.

With proper honor and respect for truth and opinion, we are encouraged to think, discuss, grow and value each other the way God intended.

We believe God has begun to awaken your dreams - now it’s time to act. But, what does it look like to act inside the context of freedom?

It doesn’t look the way you think it will, but after we investigate the out-of-the-box ways God has moved throughout history, are you sure it's not God?

This episode shows us that the walk of freedom is complex, controversial, and individual. We give a glimpse of what mature Christianity looks like, what Christianity MUST graduate to if it will victoriously meet the unprecedented times ahead.

The content of this episode will challenge and stretch you. We strongly suggest you do NOT listen to this episode before you’ve listened to episodes 18- 20. 

We are diving into mature territory now. This episode is specifically about the law of liberty, what James 1:25 calls “the perfect law.”

Why the perfect law? Because perfect here means “full grown, mature, complete.” The law of liberty is the one law of Heaven that, when followed, actually fosters maturity in us.

God planted dreams in your heart when you were born again. As you listen to this episode, we believe God will reawaken dreams that have been forgotten, snuffed out, or lying dormant.

Those dreams have not expired. They are ready for you to pursue them! And as you pursue, the more mature and complete you'll become.This episode will generate an inspiring and motivating permission to do what's in your heart.

With this astonishing gift of freedom, there is truly nothing holding you back - a blank check that seems almost irresponsible on God’s part. And yet, with Him in our corner, what can’t we do?

We know that once this specific revelation takes hold, this new birth of freedom will launch the Church into adulthood and therefore, its best and most fascinating era yet. You can be a part of that if you so choose. Are you ready to launch?

Before you were born again, you belonged to the Kingdom of Darkness. Even though it might have felt lawless, you actually lived according to a set of laws. Romans 8:2 identifies them as sin and death.

When you were born from above, you became a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20), which means you now belong to another kingdom.

That kingdom, just like any other kingdom or country or state, operates by a set of laws.

As a citizen of this new kingdom, you are free from obligation to the old laws and are free to live according to the new laws.

If you don’t make this transition, even though you are a child of God, you can still behave like you belong to the Kingdom of Darkness.

This episode dives into the laws of both kingdoms. After you listen, you’ll be able to identify from which kingdom you regularly operate.

And you’ll understand even more completely what freedom is, the wise way it is divinely facilitated, and how the Kingdom of Heaven can flow beautifully from your life.