Under God | with Pastor Stephen Martin

Texas early voting is underway. Here's why Christians can't afford to sit this election out.

Pastor Stephen Martin, Pastor Daniel Hayworth, and Pastor Nathan Brown welcome Brandon Waltens of Texas Scorecard for a special Culture Review on the Texas election. They talk through early turnout, the changing Texas map, and the U.S. Senate race, and why a few engaged believers can tip a Texas election. If you've wondered whether your one vote matters, this conversation is for your family, your church, and your community.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why state and local races in a Texas election shape your daily life

✅ What Nehemiah's sword and trowel teach about biblical citizenship

✅ Why early voting, and bringing others with you, matters this year

📖 Nehemiah 4:17–18, Nehemiah 2:19, Exodus 16:3, Proverbs 29:2

Resources mentioned: Texas Scorecard; Houston Chronicle sourcing investigation (2018); Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville; Daily Wire undercover video of Talarico's church minister; James Talarico's 2022 letter to President Biden; Texas Human Life Protection Act (HB 1280); Texas Children's Hospital settlement; Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton; Texas v. Pfizer; Kellogg's artificial dye agreement

FORGED is a men's conference at Vintage Church Harker Heights, July 16–17, 2027: straight talk, competition, and real brotherhood. Bring your son, your brother, or a friend who needs it. Register: https://vintagechurchtx.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3756061

Follow the show and leave a rating, then answer this question in the comments: Who's one person you're bringing to vote with you before early voting in this Texas election ends?

Can Christians stay neutral in today's culture? Pastor Stephen Martin says no.

In this message from the Make Heaven Crowded Tour stop at Vintage Church, Pastor Stephen Martin calls believers to Christian courage. He shows why "I don't do politics" isn't the humble answer it sounds like, and what courage looks like for your family, your church, and your community.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why Jesus is either Lord of everything or Lord of nothing

✅ How the fear of man replaced courage in the pulpit

✅ Why courage is the form of every virtue at the testing point

📖 Matthew 10:34; Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8; Proverbs 29:25; Revelation 3:15–16; Matthew 22:36–40; Matthew 28:18–20; John 14:15

Resources mentioned: Make Heaven Crowded Tour (TPUSA Faith); The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Men: FORGED is a men's conference at Vintage Church Harker Heights, July 16–17, 2027: straight talk, competition, and real brotherhood. Bring your son, your brother, or a friend who needs it. Register: https://vintagechurchtx.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3756061

Need courage to step off the fence? Follow the Under God Podcast and leave a rating, then answer this in the comments: where is the fear of man keeping you on the fence right now?

Bell County Commissioner Bobby Whitson on faith, public office, and the parable of the talents.

Pastor Daniel Hayworth talks with Bobby Whitson, Bell County Precinct 2 Commissioner (R), who is seeking a third term representing part of Killeen, Harker Heights, and the Salado area. A lifelong Bell County resident, banker, and auctioneer, Bobby shares how his son's challenge at the dinner table led him to run, what the Commissioners Court really does, and why your family, church, and community need leaders who live by God's standard.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why the parable of the talents calls every believer to step up

✅ What a county commissioner does in Bell County, from roads to the budget

✅ What to expect from a Christian in public office

📖 Matthew 25:14–30, Exodus 4:10, Judges 21:25, 2 Timothy 1:7, Matthew 22:37–40

Resources mentioned: Bell County Elections Department

🗳️ Early voting runs October 19–30. Election Day is November 3, 2026.

🎓 Sensing a call to ministry or a desire to go deeper? Church Leadership College offers real training, mentorship, and hands-on experience serving the local church: https://www.churchleadershipcollege.org/

Follow the show and leave a rating, then answer this question in the comments: What's one talent God has put in your hands that you've been tempted to bury?

Williamson County Judge Steve Snell on polling sites, data centers, and faith in office.

Pastor Nathan Brown sits down with Judge Steve Snell, a career educator turned county leader. They unpack why Islamic centers serve as polling sites, what the county can and can't do about data centers and water, and what Romans 13 means for Christians who serve in government. Local leadership shapes your family, church, and community more than you think.

You'll Learn:

✅ What a Williamson County judge actually controls, and what he doesn't

✅ How Williamson County picks polling sites, and where you can vote this November

✅ Why pastors and believers can't afford to sit out local elections

📖 Romans 13:1–4, Ephesians 4:11–12, Matthew 5:13–16, Matthew 22:39, Revelation 2–3

Resources mentioned: Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists; Library of Congress on church services in the Capitol; Gov. Abbott's CAIR designation; CAIR-Austin's polling-site statement; Williamson County's Blue Origin agreement; Firefly's Blue Ghost moon landing; Faith Wins; WallBuilders; Texans for Snell (Judge Snell's campaign)

Pastors and church leaders: the American Pastors Guild is a network of pastors committed to the truth of Scripture and leading with courage, conviction, and clarity. You don't have to do this alone. [ADD LINK: American Pastors Guild]

Follow the show and leave a rating, then answer this question in the comments: Has your church ever encouraged you to vote in county races, not just the big ones at the top of the ballot?

Is the death penalty biblical? Two pastors take the Fort Hood firing squad to Scripture.

Pastor Daniel Hayworth and Pastor Nathan Brown unpack the firing squad planned for Nidal Hasan, Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike, and Pope Leo's opposition to the death penalty, then walk through Genesis 9, Deuteronomy, and Romans 13 to show what Scripture says. They close with the Texas Senate race and why your family, church, and community can't sit this election out.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why "thou shalt not kill" really means "you shall not murder"

✅ How Romans 13 and Genesis 9 frame the death penalty as justice that honors life

✅ Why Christians can't afford to grow weary in doing good this election

📖 Genesis 9:5–7; Exodus 20:13; Exodus 32; Deuteronomy 17:5–7; Deuteronomy 19:11–13; 2 Samuel 5:11–12; Romans 13:1–4; Galatians 6:9

Resources mentioned: Texas Heartbeat Act (SB 8); Dobbs v. Jackson; Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton; Hegseth interview with Jack Posobiec; Christa Pike execution coverage; Pope Leo on capital punishment; Ilhan Omar home search; Daily Wire's Pawn Shop; Run Hide Fight: Infidels; Rogers vs. El-Sayed debate; Texas Scorecard; The Woke Mirage series; our episode with David Barton and Chad Connelly

Join For Liberty and Justice for a Night of Action at Vintage Church Harker Heights on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 PM. Meet local candidates, pray over them together, and learn how to engage in politics on a biblical foundation: https://for-liberty-and-justice-464552.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3903457

Follow the show and leave a rating, then answer this in the comments: does Romans 13 settle the death penalty question for you, or do you still wrestle with it?

Burnout isn't a calendar problem. Here's what Scripture says fuels a life of serving.

Pastor Nathan Brown and Pastor Daniel Hayworth go beyond Sunday's message to unpack 1 Peter 4 and three biblical cures for burnout. They share their own seasons of burnout in ministry and how to fan the flame again, so you can serve your family, church, and community with joy.

You'll Learn:

✅ Three cures for burnout from 1 Peter 4:10–11

✅ Why faithfulness with the sheep comes before Goliath

✅ How Timothy stayed faithful in Ephesus when he wanted to quit

📖 1 Peter 4:10–11; 2 Timothy 1:6–7; Haggai 1; Psalm 1; Psalm 51; Matthew 25:14–30; Revelation 2:1–7

Resources mentioned: "I Love You, Lord" by Laurie Klein; WHOOP; Good Fight Brotherhood; Vintage Christian Academy; Pastor John Blue's Under God episode

FORGED is a men's conference at Vintage Church Harker Heights, July 16–17, 2027: straight talk, competition, and real brotherhood. Register: [ADD LINK: FORGED]

Follow the show and leave a rating, then answer this question in the comments: what's one "stack the chairs" way you'll serve at your church this week to fight burnout?

Does your vote matter? David Barton and Chad Connelly make the biblical case for the Christian vote.

Recorded live on the American Restoration Tour, Pastor Nathan Brown talks with WallBuilders founder David Barton and Faith Wins founder Chad Connelly about why the Christian vote may be the most underused influence in America. You'll hear how one local church could have changed a school board, why showing up is a matter of stewardship, and what happens to your family, church, and community when believers sit elections out.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why a weak Christian vote is a self-inflicted problem, and how to fix it

✅ How to answer the claim that Jesus wasn't involved in politics

✅ How Scripture shaped American law and the founding

📖 Matthew 5:13–16, Matthew 22:39, Matthew 25:14–30, Proverbs 18:17

Resources mentioned: Faith Wins, the American Restoration Tour, WallBuilders, Christian Voter Guide, Texas Senate Bill 10, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, Lemon v. Kurtzman, First Liberty Institute, Letter from Birmingham Jail

Join For Liberty and Justice for a Night of Action at Vintage Church Harker Heights on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 PM. Meet local candidates, pray over them together, and learn how to engage in politics on a biblical foundation. Register: https://for-liberty-and-justice-464552.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3903457

Follow the show and leave a rating, then answer this in the comments: what keeps the Christians you know from voting, and what would get them to the polls?

A 9/11-style hijack was foiled on a flight to Tel Aviv. Here's what the West won't admit.

In this Culture Review, Pastor Daniel Hayworth walks through the hijack attempt aboard a flydubai jet, where a co-pilot previously flagged for extremist views turned on his own captain. Pastor Stephen Martin and Pastor Nathan Brown connect that hijack to the Fort Hood shooter's firing-squad sentence, three years of rising antisemitism since October 7th, and the Cornell case. Perfect for Christians on the commute, at the gym, or on the drive in.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why a 9/11-style hijack in 2026 exposes decades of pretending

✅ What "from the river to the sea" actually means

✅ Why legal and moral are not the same thing

📖 Psalm 122:6 · Isaiah 5:20 · Esther 4:14 · Deuteronomy 6:6–7

Recommended on-air: Run Hide Fight: Infidels (Daily Wire+)

Follow the Under God Podcast and leave a rating and review. After a hijack story like this, it helps more Christians find biblical truth.

Church connection matters: if you stopped going for a month, would anyone notice?

In this Beyond Sunday episode of the Under God Podcast, Pastor Nate Brown, Pastor Stephen Martin, Pastor Daniel Hayworth, and Pastor Keegan Sidhu go deeper on Sunday's message, Invited to Connect. They walk through what real church connection looked like in Acts 2, answer the claim that the early church was socialist, and show why isolation is where the enemy strikes. Perfect for the commute, the gym, or the drive, it will reshape how you think about church connection.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why church connection is a decision of devotion, not preference

✅ How offense quietly pulls Christians away from the church

✅ The 3 barriers to church connection: disengagement, unforgiveness, and fear

📖 Acts 2:42–47 · 1 Peter 5:8 · Psalm 92:12–13

🎧 Go deeper: Pastor Daniel Hayworth's Harker Heights message on the Vintage Church Podcast

Follow the Under God Podcast so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating and review to help more Christians find the biblical truth they need for every day.

Netflix's Narnia remake gives Aslan a female voice. Here's why Christians should care.

In this Culture Review episode of the Under God Podcast, Pastor Daniel Hayworth, Pastor Stephen Martin, and Pastor Nathan Brown unpack the Netflix Narnia controversy: why Aslan is C.S. Lewis's picture of Christ, and why rewriting him teaches children a different Jesus. Then they take on a Talarico-connected pastor calling the Bible a "magic book," an Ohio home prayer meeting headed to court, New York nuns fighting an assisted suicide law, and why Christian support for Israel is slipping. Perfect for the commute, the gym, or the drive.

You'll Learn:

✅ Why the Narnia story is a gospel presentation, and what's lost when culture rewrites it

✅ Why compassion means caring for the dying, not causing death

✅ How church history already answered today's "new" heresies

📖 2 Corinthians 11:4 · Acts 5:29 · Romans 1:21–25

American Pastors Guild

Covenant and Kingdom course

If this conversation on Narnia, Aslan, and the real Jesus helped you, follow the Under God Podcast and leave a rating and review so more Christians can find it.